Chapter 16

The rest of the week went well, particularly because people were allowed to talk to me at school now. I found out from Gloria that there were several girls in my classes with crushes on me, although she wouldn’t tell me who. I also got a call from the used car dealer telling me I could pick up my truck, so Wednesday night Dad drove me down there, congratulating me on a good choice when I showed him my new wheels. The volleyball girls had another match on Thursday, but it was away, and my afternoons and evenings were taken up with the new house. It rained on and off all week, leaving me glad we were making good progress and should be able to start on the roof soon. After it was on we’d be able to button up the house and let the trades work in it for a while.

We were enough ahead of schedule that we decided to take the weekend off. I got a chance to do chores on Saturday, planning for a nice lazy Sunday afternoon and evening watching professional football, the Atlanta Falcons being the new home team to root for. Of course, my primary allegiance was still to the Seahawks, I just didn’t say that out loud.

When I say I got the chance, I meant to say that Grandma took off to some sewing thing in the city and Grandpa kicked me out of the house, telling me to lube the ‘cat and weld the trailer and the gate to our new property; he had a whole slew of items that needed to be done. To my surprise I found Dad out in the shop with a similar list.

“Grandpa kick you out too?”

“Yeah, it’s strange. I’m not sure what’s going on, but he’s been acting weird all week. He keeps wanting to use my computer to watch internet videos, but he clears the browser history each time. Then yesterday when you were at school, he took off into town to run some errands and when he came back, his truck smelled funny, like he picked up some perfume for mom or something. I also heard him making reservations for brunch for two. It’s been so long that I can’t remember, but I wonder if it’s their anniversary.”

I had an idea what the sly dog was up to. Time to test the theory.

There was liquid refreshment in the fridge, making for a good excuse to get back in the house. I yelled at Dad’s dad when I was in the kitchen. “Grandpa, I’m getting some lemonade, do you want anything?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks, Tim.”

Sounded like he was in the living room. I wandered over there with my glass, “Are you sure I can’t get you something? Anything?”

“No, Tim, I’m not thirsty.”

“Not talking about that. Maybe I could run downtown and pick up a nice fluffy luxurious puffy bathrobe, like they have at the Hilton?”

He barked out a laugh, “Caught me listening to your Skype chat with your uncle, did you? So now what, are you going to blackmail me?”

“Help you, Grandpa, I’m going to help you. I can blackmail you some other time. What size robe should I get?”

His hands flailed about for a bit, finally settling on Grandma’s approximate dimensions, “I don’t know, about this big?”

“Medium, old man, I’ll pick up a medium.” A thought occurred, “Do you need kneepads?”

“What? Why would I need kneepads?”

“Think about it. When you’re beside the tub, are you standing, sitting or kneeling? I assume we’re talking about that Skype conversation?”

“Oh. No, I think I can clean up that old shop stool.”

“Okay, I’ll be back in a bit. You better think of something that will keep both me and Dad out of the house tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got that covered.”

A bathrobe like the ones at the Hilton, or a Hilton bathrobe? It turns out that they sell them at the front desk, so I figured I might as well get it there. It was getting close to supper while I was in town; I guessed that my family must be hungry. My foodie app still worked, showing me what everyone claimed to be the best pizza in Macon, not far from where I was. I searched online for sizes, put in an order for six pies then hurried over to pick them up after texting Dad to tell him I was on my way with food. In total, it took about an hour to head into town and get back with Grandpa’s package and the pies.

Grandma was very happy that she didn’t have to cook for all of us. I don’t think she took a day off from caring for we three since Dad and I had moved to Georgia. Grandpa clearly had the right idea, and Dad and I really should be more sensitive to her needs in the future.

The pies were actually as good as the foodie app claimed them to be. We ended up downing four of the six which meant tasty leftovers for tomorrow. Of course, I got scolded by the elder McKenzies for wastefully spending my father’s money until Dad pointed out that he hadn’t given me any.

That quieted them. There were still some college football games on until late in the evening, one of the advantages of living on the east coast, and the TV found one, causing everyone to rest for a bit.

Sunday morning dawned to see the entire three generational McKenzie household lazing about. I had a feeling that Grandpa was itching to kick me and Dad out of the house so he could spring his surprise on the love of his life. We got dressed as if we were going to church and then simply waited. The old man was so antsy that it was all I could do to keep from laughing.

I finally got up and waved for Dad to join me. “Come on, let’s get going to church.”

Grandpa was on us in a flash, “Nope, I have your day all arranged. Hand over your keys.”

This wasn’t part of the plan, but, live in the moment. Let’s see what kind of game you have oldster. I turned over my Tahoe keys and the ones to Dad’s truck. I was betting that Grandpa would forget that I had a vehicle now too, so I kept those. Dad forked his over as well.

Grandpa put them in the bowl by the door, taking each of us by the arm and hauling us out to where Grandma couldn’t hear us. “I will text you when you boys can come home. Stay away until then. There’s someone coming by to pick you up. You will go with them, and you will enjoy your day.” Strangely, he was looking at Dad when he said that.

“If you don’t get a text from me, you find yourself somewhere else to sleep tonight, am I making myself clear?”

I was grinning like a banshee; my parental unit looked like he was about to be sick. “We hear you, Grandpa. Have fun.”

The sound of a car pulling onto the yard made Grandpa look up, “Oh, good, they’re here.” He grabbed Dad in a hold that looked like it might have been painful, “Be nice, boy. Your mother and I didn’t raise a jackass. Give her a chance and you might be surprised.”

With that stellar endorsement of our ride ringing in our ears, we looked out onto the yard to see a late model Audi A6 purring contentedly, waiting for us. The windows were tinted, but not so dark that I couldn’t make out what appeared to be two occupants. The driver exited the vehicle as we approached, short dirty-blonde hair, tall athletic build with interesting curves being highlighted by those jeans and that blouse. Paige Goddard, which meant that the other occupant was most likely Evangeline Goddard.

Paige stood at the driver’s side rear door, indicating that Dad should assume the controls, while I should sit caddy-corner to him in the back seat. He hesitated, clearly considering his options, but gave in after seeing the pleading expression on her face. It made me wonder what she might know about the situation.

We got in the car, so much different than any of our vehicles, Dad taking the time to adjust the seat, mirrors, and steering wheel to his satisfaction. When they were properly positioned, he took a deep breath before turning his head to the right.

“Good morning, Evie. You look nice today. I would ask why you’re here, but it’s obvious my dad had something to do with it.”

“Good morning, James. You look very handsome.” She paused, as if deciding whether to say anything more. “I wonder if we could put our past behind us for the day and have a pleasant time. I’m willing to if you are.”

The polite answer is, ‘of course.’ It looked as if Dad was really wrestling with his conscience though, and I wasn’t sure what would come out.

“I think I’d like to, Evie. Let’s give that a try.”

Paige and I had been holding our collective breaths, waiting to see whether the fur would fly before committing to anything ourselves. “Good morning Mrs. Goddard, Paige.”

It was Paige’s turn, “Good morning Mr. McKenzie, Tim.”

“Alright, so we proved we can do formal and uncomfortable. Now, can we loosen up a little and could someone please share with me where we’re going today?” I asked.

Mrs. Goddard twisted in her seat so she could see me, “You mean Lionel didn’t tell you guys anything?”

Dad jumped in, “This came as a complete surprise to us, although now that I think of it, Tim appears to be grinning a little too much. He knows something, ladies, and your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find out what he knows, and how long he’s known it.”

I think all of us were surprised that he might have a lighter side to him in this company, not least of all Dad.

Mrs. Goddard wasn’t done. “Candace told me when she called that Lionel would explain everything to you guys and that everyone was all on board. That doesn’t seem to be the case. Let me get her on the phone.”

“NO!” I objected. “I mean, that’s probably not a good idea. Maybe you should just tell Dad where to go and then we can see what the day brings us.”

Dad’s eyes narrowed in the rearview mirror. “You do know something.”

“You’ll never get it out of me. You’ll have to feed me first.”

Paige jumped in, “I think that’s supposed to be ‘beat me’, not feed me. Mom, I don’t think we can afford to feed Tim. You should see the size of his lunch box. It’s one of those Igloo things that the construction workers carry.”

“Hey,” I said indignantly, “I am a construction worker.”

“You’re a high school junior,” she snapped back smugly.

I looked at her, trying to divine whether she was serious or pulling my leg. I finally decided on serious. “Dad, do we have time to stop by the site?”

“Given that no one has told me where to go or how to get there, I think that can be arranged. We’ll need boots though. Hop out and go grab some from the shop. You know where the key is, right?”

“Be right back.” I jumped out of the car, running over to the shop. I could see Grandpa’s face in the house window, getting more annoyed by the minute as he anxiously waited for us to leave. Well tough toodles old man. There were two pairs of boots in my size that just needed the mud knocked off them. I accomplished that on the way back to the car, banging them together and walking backwards so that I didn’t get dirt and dust on my clothing. Dad popped the trunk, letting me throw them in.

“Let’s go,” I said as I slid back into my seat.

“You only brought two pair, Tim, and there are four of us here.”

“Well, then we’ll have to improvise, Dad. Won’t we Mrs. Goddard?”

I could see the red on the back of her neck, and I knew it had to be mirrored on her face.

“I suppose we will, Tim.”

Paige and Dad both looked at us, wondering what our exchange was all about. When no explanation was forthcoming, they gave up. Dad put the car in gear and we pulled out of the yard, on the way toward the house under construction.

Sure enough, there were puddles from last week’s on and off rains, leaving the drive from the gate rutted, and the yard in front of the house a minor lake. I knew it wasn’t deep enough to swallow us, but we would need the rubber boots. Dad parked on the side of the road, giving everyone room to exit the vehicle. As soon as he popped the trunk, I pulled the boots, handing one pair to him.

He looked amused, “So now, what is this improvisation of which you speak?”

“Mrs. Goddard knows, why don’t you ask her?” It was fun teasing the two of them.

“I have no idea what Tim is talking about,” she replied stuffily.

“Oh, come on Mrs. Goddard, surely it wasn’t that bad an experience for you. You seemed to like the strong comforting feel of McKenzie arms. ‘Oh my.’ Isn’t that what you said when you felt safely cradled in the bosom of masculinity that is Tim McKenzie?”

Paige was looking at me like I was crazy, her mother was smiling, trying to hold in a laugh. I could see Dad working it out; I had given him enough clues. Come on, put it together.

“The spec house in May,” he finally blurted, bursting into hearty guffaws. He turned to Evie, “You kissed him?”

“On the cheek, only on the cheek,” she stammered.

“Here, let me demonstrate the technique,” I offered, chasing after Paige. She thought I meant that I was going to give her a kiss, so she was running, although not particularly fast. I caught her, lifting her up in my arms, and surprising her.

“Let me go, McKenzie.”

I made sure I was in the muddiest section of the drive before I answered, “Are you sure you want me to?”

She looked down, “Eeek. No, don’t let me go.” Her arms encircled my neck in a death grip.

“You’re safe Paige, I won’t drop you. Now could you ease up a bit? I’d like to be able to breathe.”

The arms loosened, letting me turn my head back to where our parents still stood, “Here’s your chance to test the surefootedness of age. You’ve already experienced the vigor of youth, go ahead, give him a try.”

I glanced down to see Paige regarding me with an appraising look, “Vigor of youth, is it? Maybe at some point we’ll have the opportunity to check that out.”

I managed to absorb that statement without stumbling.

We had placed temporary stairs in the house, so on this tour, all floors were available. We started in the entryway.

“So this is what you’ve been building. I wondered, but I can’t get a good look from the road.” Paige was gazing around at the features that were standard in Dad’s homes, the wide hallways, tall ceilings, open airy entries.

“You haven’t been in here before? But you’re always coming over.” Paige’s mother seemed puzzled at her behavior.

“Well, Tim chased me off the property. I almost stepped in a hole and could have sprained my ankle, but he stopped me just in time. Ever since then I have to stay on the other side of the gate. I can wave and his grandpa lets Tim know I’m here and then he...” She realized at the last minute that she didn’t need to be sharing that with her mother.

“So, Mr. McKenzie, can we get a tour?” Paige was ignoring her mother’s look, sidling over to me instead as if to hide her frame behind my bulk.

Dad was always willing to show his homes. “Sure. Let’s see, over here’s the kitchen...”

He walked them through the ground floor, describing the features as we passed through rooms. Mrs. Goddard was impressed with the kitchen and the breakfast nook, although she did comment that there seemed to be an awful lot of open space in the middle. Dad mentioned that I had requested a large, fully plumbed island, and I could see her face brighten as her imagination painted in the furnishings.

He moved on, describing the dining room fit for dinner parties of 15 or more guests. We walked through into a music room, light, airy with the windows we needed to install yet. That allowed us to circle around to the great room, the opening for a fireplace framed darkly on the far wall. Dad explained that the expanse of floor was intended to allow for formal gatherings, or could be cleared for dancing.

There was a utility room off the kitchen leading to the back door which we noted but bypassed. A guest bath, full, not half, sat across from a home office that could double as a hobby room, or triple in an emergency as another guest bedroom. Next to the bathroom there was a door for the in-law suite that we didn’t enter on this tour. The final room on the end farthest from the great room was the man cave. Dad tried to explain the testosterone/estrogen ratio and how it related to the cave, stating that all our lives we had been shortchanged, unlike our friend Bill in Chicago. I could tell the ladies refused to believe him and were already making plans for it should they have lived in the house.

We backtracked to the main entry and up the temporary stairs that led to the second story. Dad drew them a word picture, painting for them a grand entrance with curving staircase, graceful banisters and majestic chandelier sparkling overhead. We stood at the loft, or presentation area as Dad liked to call it, while he pointed down the hallway and apologized for the opulence he was about to show the ladies.

“Tim persuaded me on this. If it were solely my decision, the master suite would be half the size and this would have ended up being an eight bedroom house.”

The suite, as Dad called it, occupied the northwest side of the house, the orientation of the building, following that of the property; northeast/southwest. He described how the double French doors would open onto a balcony perfectly positioned to catch the last rays of sunlight each day. Mrs. Goddard darted a startled look at me as she began to stalk around the room. I was standing just inside the door to the master suite, content to let Dad extol its features. Paige came in after me, wanting to examine everything, but I caught her arm, halting her progress.

“Just watch.”

Mrs. Goddard nodded as she paced the room, I’m sure imagining it as I had described it to Dad. A makeup table here, armoire there. Four poster king on this wall. Out on the balcony, some furniture and a small table, two wine glasses set waiting for a teasing vintage. Over here, the walk-in closet, and Oh, what a closet. Room for shoes, and dresses, drawers and wardrobes for out-of-season clothing. Moving on to the master bath. Yes! A shower with bench, a Jacuzzi tub, plus a huge claw foot offering in which one could stretch out completely. Towel racks ... heated? Of course. What about heated floors? Those too. Oh, my, double vanity here. But what about this space? A relatively large linen and storage closet. Privacy for the toilet, naturally.

The woman was falling in love with this house.

On the other side of the hall and down a way, was the laundry room, complete with sink and counter for workspace. Plenty of storage there, too.

Next to that, a linen closet. Then one bedroom with room for bed, desk and dresser or armoire, walk in closet, and another door that led to a bathroom, moderately sized when compared to the master, but large for a secondary, and then yet one more door with a bedroom mirroring the one we had just seen. Of course there were windows allowing a lot of light into the rooms.

There was a final bedroom and bath at the far end that didn’t get shown. We made our way carefully back to the main floor, allowing Evie to recover from the visions she’d had.

“This place is beautiful, Mr. McKenzie,” Paige finally admitted, “You must have spent a lot of time working on this.”

“Actually, Paige, I just drew up the plans and submitted them. Tim’s been doing most of the work.”

“But he’s just a junior in school, like me.”

“Paige, Tim is the foreman on this job, as well as being the construction manager, payroll clerk, bookkeeper and coordinating inspections and schedules. All I’ve had to do is approve some capital outlays and line up subcontractors for him to contact. He’s been supervising his grandfather on the job here since we started, not the other way around.”

“But, I thought he ... you ... Mr. McKenzie.” She shut her mouth for a moment. “So when you said you were a construction worker, Tim, you meant it.”

I grinned, “Why else would I say it? What did you think I was doing here every day? You saw me working on your gazebo.”

She managed to look bashful. “I don’t know, cleaning up after your dad and grandpa and the crew. Learning from them. You know, stuff.”

Dad smiled gently at her, “Well, now that we’ve straightened that out, why don’t we go and do whatever it is we were planning on doing. Evie, are you coming?”

We two guys handed our shoes to the ladies once more and put the boots back on. Mrs. Goddard seemed content to be carried gently, cradled really, in Dad’s arms. Paige opted for a more adventuresome piggy-back ride. We locked the site up and got into the car, ready to keep going on the day’s outing.

“So, where to?” Dad asked as he started us down the road.

“Do you think you can find your way to the Mercedes Benz Stadium, James?” Mrs. Goddard asked teasingly, “We have a Suite for today’s game. And maybe we can feed Tim so that he’ll tell us what’s going on back at the old homestead.”

“Let’s see what I can do.”

Even with the stop at the work site, we still managed to get to the MB Stadium well in advance of the start of the game. The players were on the field, warming up and checking equipment, with the kickers working on their range for that particular Sunday.

I took a moment to look around the Suite we were in. This was obviously a location from which to watch the game that cost a pretty penny.

“Mrs. Goddard, did you rent this for today’s game?” I was still looking at the various features available to us.

“No, Tim. One of the companies I work with owns this. Usually they use it as a perk for employees when they’re not entertaining clients, but it can be freed up for private use if you know the right people.”

“Speaking of which, what is it that you do, Mrs. Goddard? I’ve been meaning to ask that ever since I realized you were the woman from Seattle.”

I saw Dad focus interested eyes on Evie as I asked the question.

“A little of this and a little of that, Tim.”

And that was all we were going to get from her on that subject for the rest of the day. Oh, well. There was a rear area in our room that had catering table set up with warming trays. I suspected they would hold my interest for a while.

There were four very comfortable chairs set up down by the windows that overlooked the field. I could see that we were placed almost directly across the dome from the press box, only a few yards off center from the fifty yard line. This looked to be a great place to watch the Falcons take on the 49ers. Kickoff was still an hour away, though, so Paige decided to take me on a tour around the stadium.

“Make sure you and Tim have your passes with you. Last time it took a while to get you cleared through security when you left them here.”

Paige’s eyes rolled, although she checked first me and then herself to see that we had them on lanyards around our neck. “We’ve got them, Mom.”

We left together, Paige explaining that we’d take them off, putting them in our pockets while we wandered around. Passes to the Suites on display were simply an invitation for someone to try to take them from you. I nodded understanding, and we headed off to explore the venue.

My stomach was rumbling as we walked around, but every time I tried to head to the concessions stand for garlic fries or a hot dog, I was skillfully redirected. “Come on, Paige. I’m hungry. I don’t think I’ve eaten in four hours, and you guys took me away from the pizza I was saving at home. Throw me a bone here.”

She smiled, settling me in front of one of the shops in the stadium selling authentic team gear. “Let’s get you something to replace your Sunday best and then we’ll head back to watch the game. There will be food up at the Suite, I promise.”

Grumbling, I did as she requested, looking through the jerseys for one I could stand to wear. It was mostly Falcons stuff, but they carried a smattering of the more popular players from other teams. I found a Seahawks Wilson one, taking it to the front counter to pay for it. Paige caught up to me there, toting a Matt Ryan shirt cut for the ladies.

“You know, you’re supposed to root for the home team when you come to the game, not one of our hated rivals in the conference.” Her arm nudged me for emphasis.

“You can take the man out of Seattle, but you can’t take Seattle out of the man,” was my snappy comeback.

Neither she nor the fans around me seemed particularly impressed with my statement. “Tell you what, I won’t wear it until we get back to our seats, how’s that?”

She shrugged, “Up to you.”

Since that was the case, I pulled it from the bag as soon as we left the shop, casually tearing off the tags as I did. It slipped on quite nicely over my button-down shirt. Keeping the receipt, I tossed the bag into the first recycling container I could find, offering my arm to Paige once my hands were no longer encumbered.

“Shall we?”

I got another flash from those violet eyes, but she held on as I propelled us through the now almost teeming masses on our way back upstairs and to our reserved spots. I had to remember to take the lanyard out of my pocket, slipping it back around my neck before we got to security. They scowled when they saw my #3 Seahawks jersey, but let me through, regardless. I was happy to find out that Paige was right when we got back to the room.

“Food,” I exclaimed as my nose was assaulted by wonderful smells. I toured the room, trying to locate it, but all I could see was pre-food, you know, appetizers. Well, enough of them can make a meal, so I grabbed one of the plates provided and started to load up.

“Tim, you know that’s for all of us, right?” Paige reminded me as she saw me starting to snack.

I simply pointed to the sheet of instructions that was laminated and pasted to the wall by the courtesy phone. “We can always call down and get more; they tell you how over there. I expect we’ll need to by the second half.”

I picked my way through the displays of goodies, winding down to where the tables were set up. Dad and Mrs. Goddard were sitting at one where he had his plate firmly established. Her’s was filled much more daintily. Paige came to join me, having simply wafted through the serving line, enjoying the smells, but not yet partaking.

Dad looked up from his culinary samplings. “Have you called your uncle yet?”

Uncle Frank was a huge 49ers fan and it was pretty good odds that if he wasn’t working, he’d be watching the game we were currently attending. It was almost ten o’clock on the west coast, which meant that the pregame stuff was close to being over. His TV should be on by now, ready to catch San Francisco’s latest travesty of a performance.

“Hold on, let me get him.” I pulled out my phone, finding him in my favorites. “Uncle Frank,” I said when he picked up, “You’ll never guess where I am.” I put the phone on speaker so that everyone else could hear our conversation.

“No idea, some beach in South Florida?”

“No, I’m at the Atlanta game with Dad and some friends of ours.” I was going to tell him he was on speaker phone with all of us, but he didn’t give me the chance.

“Don’t tell me you’re rooting for the Falcons? How long did it take to make you turn traitor? Less than two months you’re out there and suddenly I don’t even know you anymore.” He paused and his voice suddenly got quieter. “Hey, Buddy, I took another of your suggestions on Friday night and went the ‘Cheesy’ route as you called it. The after action report says you might be getting quadruplet cousins if you know what I mean.”

“I think everyone knows what you mean, Uncle Frank. I didn’t get the chance to tell you, but you’re on speakerphone. Let me introduce you to Paige Goddard and her mother Evangeline. You already know Dad. Everyone, my Uncle Frank.”

There were ‘hellos’ all round and some strained chatter before Frank suddenly remembered that he had to mow the lawn before the game started. He hung up, leaving Dad and me snickering.

“What’s so funny?” asked Mrs. Goddard.

“They have a lawn maintenance service,” answered Dad.

I was content to let that topic drop, but Paige had picked up on something, and like a dog worrying a bone, she wouldn’t let it go. “What was that about you suggesting something ‘cheesy’ for your uncle to do? And why would that have anything to do with... “ she couldn’t say it, “later behavior?”

The kickoff had just taken place; I swear I tried to get everyone’s eyes to focus on the field.

“I’d like to find out about that too, Tim.” Mrs. Goddard’s silken voice made the request seem almost reasonable, until I remembered the potential face-reddening consequences to me should I actually say anything. I just stuffed my mouth and tried to watch the field.

Dad, the wretched louse, saw that my day would not be complete without a little humiliation. “From what I understand, Tim is quite the dating guru, and has been giving advice to his uncle, who in turn has been sharing that good advice with the rest of Seattle’s fire department.”

Oh, God! Now I was going to hear about it forever. It was Paige who made the leap all the way across the country.

“Is that why you guys have been banned from your house today?”

Dad was hoist on his own petard. His face went ashen as Paige’s question finally connected the dots for him. He’s not a stupid man, quite brilliant and creative actually, but when it comes to matters that hit too close to home, sometimes he, like the rest of us, could be blind to circumstances.